Tool for coupling hydraulic hoses



Jan. 24, 1967 J. a. CHRISTENSEN TOOL FOR COUPLING HYDRAULIC HOSES Filed March 17, 1965 /N VE/V 70/1 JAMES B. C lip/5 7' Elk 551V flTTOR/VEX United States Patent 3,299,496 TOOL FOR COUPLING HYDRAULIC HOSES James B. Christensen, RR. 1B, Spencer, Iowa 51301 Filed Mar. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 440,456 9 Claims. (Cl. 29-237) This invention relates to new hand tool and more particularly to an improved tool to simplify and facilitate the coupling of hydraulic hoses especially when they are under hydraulic pressure.

In farming operations, for example, a variety of hydraulically operated equipment, usually powered from a tractor, is in general use and this requires the coupling and uncoupling of hydraulic hose frequently as is well known. Such coupling must often be performed while the hoses are under pressure and this at best is a difiicult task and time consuming. It is accordingly one of the important objects of this invention to provide an easy to use hand tool that has particular usefulness in coupling hydraulic hoses under pressure and can, of course, be used efficiently to couple such hoses when not under pressure.

Another object contemplated herein is the provision of a new tool as characterized that can be quickly and easily adjusted relative to hose fittings of different size and manufacture.

Further objects herein are to provide a tool of the above class that is convenient to carry, easy to use and extremely efficient for its intended purpose.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein, or be hereinafter pointed out, reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing apreferred embodiment of this new tool,

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof showing this tool being applied to hydraulic hoses preparatory to coupling the same,

FIG. 3 is a side view of this tool after it has been manipulated to couple a pair of hydraulic hoses, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are respective perspective views each showing a different modified adjusting means to adapt this tool to hose fittings of different size and manufacture.

Referring to the drawings, this new tool designated generally by the numeral includes an elongated handle 12 which is preferably of tubular or rod material but which may be a bar or the like if desired. The lower end or handgrip end of handle 12 is knurled as at 14 for ease in gripping and the upper end of the handle terminates in a transversely projecting bifurcated jaw 16 that is rabbeted 18 on its upper side as seen in FIG. 1. Also carried at the upper end of handle 12 is a support member 20 which is disposed to project from handle 12 in a direction diametrically opposite to jaw 16. Member 20 is in the form of the parallel spaced support plates 22 and 24 and may include the top plate 26 connected thereto for purposes of rigidity whereby member 20 is channel shaped with its open side at the bottom.

A sleeve 28 is slidably disposed on handle 12 and carries a bifurcated jaw 30 at one side similar in shape to jaw 16 and movable with sleeve 28 on handle 14 in longitudinal alignment with jaw 16. The underside of jaw 30 -is rabbeted as at 32 in a similar manner to rabbet 18 on jaw 16. Also on sleeve 28 and projecting therefrom in a direction'opposite to jaw 30 is an apertured ear 34 disposed in alignment with the open bottom side of a support member 20. As can be seen in FIG. 1, jaw 30 and car 34 may be integrallyformed and may be designed for slidable arrangement on handle 12 without a separate sleeve 28 although the use of such a sleeve as shown or perhaps one even shorter in length is preferred to elimi- 3,299,496 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 nate any binding on handle 12 during movement of jaw 30 relative thereto as will appear.

For purposes of moving jaw 30 toward and away from jaw 16 I provide the elongated handle-like lever 36 having the knurled handgrip portion 38 on its lower end to complement handle portion 14 and having its opposite or upper end formed so as to define a heel portion 40, and a beak or toe portion 42 projecting angularly from a longitudinal alignment with the main lever body 36. Lever 36 is pivotally mounted at heel portion 40 intermediate the outer end portions of plates 22 and 24 by means of a pin 44 so that the toe portion 42 extends toward handle 12 as best seen in FIG. 2. A clevis member 46 is pivotally secured at one end to toe 42 so as to depend therefrom and an adjusting screw arranged relative to the other end'of clevis 46 is engaged through ear 34 by nut 50. Locknuts 52 are provided to hold screw 48 against rotation relative to clevis 46 at times in a well known manner.

From the above description it will be appreciated that elevation of lever 36 will move jaw 30 on handle 12 away from jaw 12 and the lowering of lever 36 toward handle 12 will move jaw 30 toward jaw 16. Thus this tool can be operated similar to a pair of pliers but with considerably more leverage acting on jaw 30. In the upward movement of lever 36 as seen in FIG. 2, the clevis 46 and screw 48 will be slightly inclined from a parallel plane with handle 12 and to accommodate this slight motion, the aperture (not shown) in ear 34 is oversized relative to the diameter of screw 48.

To illustrate the use of tool 10 as shown as described, reference is made to FIGS. 2 and 3 where a pair of hydraulic hoses 54 and 56 are shown with their well known respective fittings 58 and 60. To couple hoses 54 and 56, jaw 16 is embracingly engaged with a suitable section of the fittings 58 and jaw 30 is similarly engaged relative to fittings 60. It will be understood and appreciated that fittings 58 and 60 will include one or more nut components as is well known and jaws 16 and 30 are so arranged that their smooth opposed surfaces, being the lower surface of jaw 16 and the upper surface of jaw 30 will abut certain of the fitting components and the rabbet portions 18 and 32 will provide a seat for any fitting components adjacent thereto. Screw 48 may, of course, be lengthened or shortened to accommodate the location of jaws 16 and 30 to fittings of different sizes and manufacture. With tool 10 thus arranged as shown in FIG. 2, the movement of lever 36 to the position shown in FIG. 3 can be accomplished very easily and will result in hoses 54 and 56 beingquickly coupled even .when under pressure.

With reference now to FIGS. 4 and 5, I have shown variations for adjusting the distance between jaws 16 and 30. More particularly in FIG. 4, ear 34 is replaced by an elongated plate 62 provided with a plurality of spaced aligned holes 64. Likewise, clevis 46 is replaced by a pair of parallel links 66 pivotally attached at one end to toe 42 so as to depend therefrom whereby their other ends may be selectively engaged in any desired hole 64 by means of a removable pin 86. In FIG. 5, the holes 64 of FIG. 4 are replaced by inclined notches 70 which 1 may be selectively engaged by a fixed pin 72 connecting herein is for the purpose of description and not for limitation and that modifications and changes can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departin from the spirit and purpose thereof.

I claim:

1. In a tool for coupling complementary fittings on hydraulic hoses, comprising:

an elongated handle,

a hose engaging first jaw on one end of said handle and disposed to project perpendicularly therefrom,

'a sleeve slidably disposed on said handle,

a second hose engaging jaw carried by said sleeve so as to be movable therewith,

said second jaw disposed to project perpendicularly from said sleeve and in alignment with said first jaw,

a support carried by said handle opposite said first jaw,

a lever pivotally attached at one end .to said support so that said lever is movable toward and away from said handle, and

linkage means connecting the pivotally attached end of said lever to said sleeve whereby said second jaw can be selectively moved toward and away from said first jaw by movement of said lever.

2. In a tool for coupling complementary fittings on hydraulic hoses, comprising:

an elongated handle,

a hose engaging fixed jaw on one end of said handle,

a hose engaging movable jaw movably mounted on said handle for cooperative action with said fixed J a lever pivotally attached near one end to said handle and near said fixed jaw, and

a lengthwise adjustable link means pivotally secured respectively to said movable jaw and to said lever at its pivoted end whereby movement of said lever toward and away from said handle will respectively move said movable jaw toward and away from said fixedjaw.

3. In a tool for coupling complementary fittings on hydraulic hoses, comprising:

an elongated handle,

a fixed bifurcated jaw carried at one side of one end of said handle,

a support plate carried at said end of said handle opposite to said fixed jaw,

a movable jaw member slidably disposed on said handle and including a bifurcated jaw portion in alignment with said fixed jaw, and

an apertured ear in alignment with said support plate,

a lever pivotally attached at one end to said support plate, and

lengthwise adjustable linkage operatively connected to said apertured ear and the pivoted end of said lever.

4. In a tool for coupling complementary fittings on hydraulic hoses, comprising:

an elongated handle,

a fixed bifurcated jaw carried at one side of one end of said handle,

a support plate carried at said end of said handle opposite to said fixed jaw,

a movable jaw member slidably disposed on said handle and including a bifurcated jaw portion in alignment with said fixed jaw, and

an adjustment plate having a plurality of spaced holes and in alignment with said support plate,

a lever pivotally attached at one end to said support plate, and

linkage means operatively connected to the pivoted end of said lever and selectively attached to said adjustment plate through one of said holes.

5. In a tool for coupling complementary fittings on hydraulic hoses, comprising:

an elongated handle,

a fixed bifurcated jaw carried at one side of one end of said handle,

a support plate carried at said end of said handle opposite to said fixed jaw,

a movable jaw member slidably disposed on said handle and including a bifurcated jaw portion in alignment with said fixed jaw, and an adjustment plate having a plurality of spaced notches and in alignment with said support plate,

a lever pivotally attached at one end to said support plate, and

linkage means operatively connected to the pivoted end of said lever and selectively attached to said adjustment plate by engagement in one of said notches.

6. In a tool for coupling complementary fittings on hydraulic hoses, comprising:

an elongated handle,

a fixed bifurcated jaw carried at one side of one end of said handle,

a support plate carried at said end of said handle opposite to said fixe-d jaw,

a movable jaw member slidably disposed on said handle and including a bifurcated jaw portion in alignment with said fixed jaw, and a link engaging member, in alignment withsaid support plate,

a lever pivotally attached at one end to said support plate,

link means operatively connected to said link engaging member and the pivoted end of said lever, and

a rabbet on each jaw on its respective unopposed side relative to the other jaw.

7. A device as defined in claim 6 including means to lengthwise adjust said link means for selectively varying the widest point of separation between said jaws.

8. In a tool for coupling complementary fittings on hydraulic hoses, comprising:

an elongated handle,

a fixed bifurcated jaw carried at one side of one end of said handle,

a support plate carried at said end of said handle opposite to said fixed jaw,

a movable jaw member slidably disposed on said handle and including a bifurcated jaw portion in alignment with said fixed jaw, and a link engaging member, in alignment with said support plate,

an elongated lever having a beak-like projection on one end,

said lever pivotally connected near sai-d beak-like projection to said support plate, and

link means operatively connecting said link engaging member and said beak-like projection.

9. A device as defined in claim 8 including means to lengthwise adjust said link means for selectively varying the widest point of separation between said jaws.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 331,147 11/1885 Mallinckrodt 29-237 1,894,835 1/1933 Smith et al. 29234 2,958,125 11/1960 Nichols 29-237 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

J. C. PETERS, Assistant Examiner. 

2. IN A TOOL FOR COUPLING COMPLEMENTARY FITTINGS ON HYDRAULIC HOSES, COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED HANDLE, A HOSE ENGAGING FIXED JAW ON ONE END OF SAID HANDLE, A HOSE ENGAGING MOVABLE JAW MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE FOR COOPERATIVE ACTION WITH SAID FIXED JAW, A LEVER PIVOTALLY ATTACHED NEAR ONE END TO SAID HANDLE AND NEAR SAID FIXED JAW, AND A LENGTHWISE ADJUSTABLE LINK MEANS PIVOTALLY SECURED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID MOVABLE JAW AND TO SAID LEVER AT ITS PIVOTED END WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID HANDLE WILL RESPECTIVELY MOVE SAID MOVABLE JAW TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID FIXED JAW. 